Southern Yunnan is home to China's only remaining wild elephants. Increasingly, the animals are coming into contact with humans, often with severe consequences for rural residents. In an effort to lessen the number of interactions between pachyderms and people, the Simao District Forestry Department has announced plans to begin feeding... more »

Five cultural relics in Pu'er were recently listed as Major Historical and Cultural Sites and will be protected at the national level. This is the highest designation for preservation under the PRC's Ministry of Culture and a necessary step in the process towards attaining UNESCO World Heritage recognition. more »

[...] We had mentioned we were interested in tea and would love to see how he grew and processed pu'er tea — which is often alternatively spelled pu-erh. He invited another friend — a nice businessman who just happened to be one of the region's chief government economists — to join us. more »

Swiss food and drinks conglomerate Nestlé has announced it is expanding its operations in Yunnan with an eye toward promoting coffee consumption across China. The company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the prefectural government pledging to invest 100 million yuan (US$16 million) to build a coffee farming... more »

On April 10, 2013, Ximeng will celebrate its Wooden Drum Festival. Thousands of Wa — as well as Dai and Lahu — from the surrounding villages will descend on the county seat for a few days of revelry, drinking, singing and dancing. Those who enjoy traditional clothing will not be... more »

It was indecently early when I arrived in Mengku (勐库) with my 'tea brother' and 'tea sister.' We had traveled some fourteen hours and 750 kilometers on an overnight bus from Kunming. Mengku lies to the north of Shuangjiang Autonomous County (双江自治县) in Lincang Prefecture (临沧市). more »